Duplex crimping machine



March 29, 1960 H. w. BATCHELLER ,9 0,0

DUPLEX CRIMPING MACHINE Filed Jul 16, 1957 I 2 sheets-sheet 1 Q E O- n 1 1 Tr March 29, 1960 H. w. BATCHELLER DUPLEX CRIMPING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 16, 1957 wires.

DUPLEX CRIMPING MACHINE Hugh W. Batcheller, Newton Highlands, Mass., assignor to Kent Mfg. Crp., Newton, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 16, 1957, Serial No. 672,247

Claims. (Cl. 1-165) attach electric connector members to the ends of a twowire cable. The cable end is split for a suflicient distance to separate and strip the end portions of the two A crimping machine can then be used to attach connector members one by one to the two' stripped ends. This operation is time-consuming and apt to be troublesome as the ends of the two wires tend to get in each others Way.

- According to the present invention, a machine is provided for crimping two connector members simultaneously onto a pair of wire ends, making the operation easier and speedier. This amounts to considerably more than a mere duplication of parts as crimping machines of this type are adapted to operate on connector members which are supplied in long series in which successive members are connected by a bond usually consisting of a narrow band of metal which is severed by the machine that crimps the member onto a wire. In constructing a machine to operate on the leading two members of the series in one stroke, problems of feeding had to be solved for the production of a successful machine.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof, and to the drawings, of which Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same;

Figure '3 is an end elevation of the same as seen from the right; i

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the same as seen from the left; 1

Figure 5 is a detailed elevational view of the braking means for the leading portion of a series of connected connector members; I

Figure 6 is a perspective'view of a portion of the elements shown in Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a stop plate used in the machine.

The machine illustrated on the drawings has a base 10,

"rates Fate nt 'the insulation on the wire nextto the bared end.

Patented Mar. 119

4 ice secured in the base 10 are two anvils 28 and 30 directly below the respective notches of each of the crimping tools. I

The machine shown on the drawings is designed to fasten electric connector members to the ends of wires, two at a time The connector members are supplied to the machine in a series in which the members are arranged side by side in spaced relation and are connected by a continuous strip of metal. Figures 1 and 6 illustrate such a series of electric connector members 62 which are joined by a continuous longitudinal strip or ribbon 34 of metal, each connector being joined to the strip 34 by a short neck 36. The series including the joining strip 34 is formed from a band or ribbon of brass or other suitable metal, such a series being supplied in reels of considerable size containing as muchas !five hundred feet or so of connector members 32. A reel of such members is mounted in any convenient position so as to feed the series as indicated in Figure 1..to a track member 40 which is removably secured to the bed 10. The strip or series of connector members 32 is intermittently'fed forward by a distance equal to two of these members so that the leading two members are positioned on the anvils 28 and 30 while the plunger 14 is rising on its up stroke. The plunger then descends to cause the crimping tools 24 and 26 to crimp the gripping fingers of the connector members which are on the anvils around the end portions of wires (not shown) which have been thrust through the openings 20 and 22. Each connector member 32 has two pairs of gripping points or prongs, the smaller pair 42 being arranged to be crimped around the bared end of an insulated wire, a pair of longer prongs being provided on each connector member to be crimped around the end portion of It is important that the ends of the wires be inserted far enough to be properly gripped by the prongs 42 and 44 but not far enough to penetrate into the shallow channel portion of the connector members which are to receive the tongues of complementary connectormembers when in'use. To facilitate the insertion of the wire ends to a correct distance through the openings 20 and 22 a stop plate 46 (Figures 3 and 7) is mounted on the housing behind the openings 20 and 22. 'When the wire ends are inserted through these openingsthey are'stopped by the plate 46. As indicated in Figure 7, the plate 46 has a central portion 48 which is thinner than the'marginal portions, thus forming shoulders 50 and 52 which extend vertically and serve as guides or limiting ele ments for the wire ends so as to keep them from spreading apart too far whenthrust through'the openings 2ll and 22. The machine is intended particularly for use in attaching connector members two at a time on the ends of. a two-wire cable. Thecovering insulation of the'cable is split for a couple of inchesor so to separate the two wires therein. These wire ends are then, after being stripped for a half an inch or so, thrust through the openings 20 and 22. The tendency is for the ends to be spread apart when they hit the thin por tion 48 of the stop plate 46. The shoulders 50 and ,52 thus serve to keep the ends directly over the channels between the fingers or prongs 42 and 44 of each of the connector members which are resting on the an vils 28 and30. I 1" A means for feeding the series of connector members forward consists of a pawl 54 which has two teeth 56 and 58 arranged in tandem. -When the plunger descendst'o crimp the two leading connectors which are-on the anvils and to sever these connectors from the strip, the pawl second connector in the remaining strip. The tooth 58 engages behind the second of the two newly'severed connectors. As the plunger rises, the pawl advances so that the tooth 58 pushes theorimped connectors out from under the plunger, and the tooth 56' pushes against the second connector in the strip to locate the leading two connectors on the anvils 28 and 3G. The pawl 54 is pivoted at 60 to a disk 62 which is pivotally mounted at 64 on the frame 12. A spring 66 presses the teeth of the pawl 54 downward against the track 40, a finger piece 63 being provided on the pawl to facilitate swinging it upward to clear the connector members when desired; The disk 62 is rocked about its axis 64 to reciprocate the pawl 54, the angle of rocking movement being limited by a fixed-pin 69 which is within a notch 70 in the periphery of the disk 62. The disk 62 is rocked by movement of the plunger 14. For this purpose a roller 72 is carried on an arm 74 secured to the plunger 14 so that the roller 72 moves up and down with the plunger 14. The roller engages in a peripheral recess 76 in the disk 62 so that when the plunger rises the disk is rocked counterclockwise (Figure 2) so as to advance the pawl 54 and thus to feed the leading two connector members 32 to a position over the respective anvils 28 and 30 and to eject the two connectors which have just been crimped and severed from the strip. A downward movement of the of the plunger results not only in the crimping ofthe,

gripping fingers 42 and 44 of the leading two connector members but also in severing these members from the series by cutting the connecting necks 36 and chopping off the end portion of the strip 44 which joins the connector members. When the plunger then rises the connector members which have just been crimped and are now separate and independent, are removed with the wires to which they have been crimped while the next two members in the series are advanced to positions over the anvils. Two fresh wireends are inserted in the openings 20 and 22 and the plunger is then caused to descend to crimp the gripping fingers of these connectors on the wire ends.

In order to make sure that the leadingconnecting members are properly positioned on the anvils 28 and 30, a drag shoe 80 is strongly pressed by a spring 82 against the connecting strip 34 of the series of connector members which are approaching the anvils 28 and 30. The

spring 82 is pressed down by a plunger 84 above it, the I upper end of the plunger 84 bearing against a cam surface 86 of a turn button 88 which can be turned to relieve the pressure of the shoe 80 against the connector strip 34. Figure 2 shows the turn button 88 in position to cause the shoe 50 to press strongly against the strip 34 so as to impose thereon a frictional drag of considerable magnitudev Thus there can be no over-running of the strip when it is fed forward to bring the leading two' connector members into their positions over the anvils.

The drag shoe 8%) is necessarily spaced from the anvils 23 and, 39 by a sufficient distance to accommodate the pawl 54, this pawl being of sutficient length to have the, two teeth 56 and 58 for simultaneous engagement with and relatively weak so that in order to prevent buckling of the leading portion of the series. between the plunger 14 and the drag shoe 89, a hold-down member 90 is provided as indicated in Figure 6. This hold-downmember consists of a piece of spring steel having a flange 92 the edge of which bears on the portion of the strip 34 between the anvils and the drag shoe. The horizontal portion ofthe .holrdewn member 9t is cut-out to form a tab 94 which when unstressed is inclined upward from the plane of the horizontal portion 90. A screw 96 extends through'the tab '94 and is set down tight so as to 4 force the tab 94 against the face of the bed 10. This results in a resilient pressing of the flange 92 against the portion of the strip 34 on which it bears. This holddown member thus prevents the leading portion of the series of connector members from buckling when the pawl 54 is retracted.

The plunger 14, in addition to the crimping tools 24 and 26, also carries a blade 93 which is arranged to sever the necks 36 of the leading two connector members immediately after the gripping fingers 42 and 44 thereof have been crimped around the wire ends. The blade 98 also cuts off the end portion of the strip 34. Thus the connector members are secured to the ends of the two wire cables as fast as such ends can be introduced through the openings 20 and 22.

I claim:

1. In a crimping machine having a base, a frame on said base, a vertically reciprocable plunger having crimping tools carried thereby, a housing mounted on said frame to surround and guide said plunger and means for feeding articles to be crimped toward said plunger; two anvils on said base beneath said tools, said housing having openings above said anvils for the reception of wire ends, and a stop plate behind said openings to limit the distance of insertion of wires therethrough, said stop plate having vertically extending shoulders to limit the horizontal divergence of the wire ends thrust through said openmgs.

2. In a machine for crimping the wire-gripping portions of a electric connector members about the end portions of wires presented thereto, a base, a frame thereon, a vertically reciprocable plunger carried by said frame, a housing mounted on said frame to surround and guide said plunger, two anvils mounted on said base beneath said plunger to support two connector members to be crimped, a crimping tool carried by said plunger over each said anvil, means on said frame for feeding a series of joined connector members to said anvils, means carried by said plunger for severing from said series the connectors on said anvils, said feeding means including a pawl having two teeth spaced for simultaneous engagement with one of the connectors on the anvils and the next to the leading connectormember in the series, and a stop-plate carried by said housing over and behind said anvils to limit the distance of insertion of wires over the anvils, said plate having vertically extending shoulders to limit the divergence of the ends of said wires.

3. In a crimping machine having a base, a frame on said base, a spring-pressed drag shoe pressing on said base, an anvil and a vertical plunger having crimping tools carried thereby over said anvil and spaced from said drag shoe; a reciprocable feed pawl carried by said frame between the drag shoe and plunger, said pawl having two teeth, spaced longitudinally, the leading tooth being adjacent to said anvil when said pawl is at the beginning of its feeding stroke, a friction member mounted on said frame adjacent to said feed pawl, and means synchronizing the feed stroke of said pawl with the upward movement of said plunger and tools.

4. In a machine for crimping the wire-gripping portions of electric connector members in a series of such members serially joined by strips of metal integral with the members, said machine having a base, a frame and an anvil on said base, a vertically reciprocable plunger carried by said frame having tools for crimping a connector on said anvil and severing said connector from the series, a track on said base on which said series of members is slidable, and a drag shoe adapted to press against a portion of the connecting strip of said members; a feed pawl between, said drag shoe and said plunger, said feed pawl having two longitudinally spaced teeth adapted for simultaneous engagement with the connector onrthe anvil and one of the connectors of said series, means operatively connecting said plunger with said pawl to advance the pawl as the plunger rises, and a springsaid plunger, an anvil mounted on said base beneath said plunger to support a connector member to be crimped, a crimping tool carried by said plunger over said anvil, means on said frame for feeding aseries of joined connector members to said anvil, means carried by said plunger for severing from said series the connector mem- 6 ber on said anvil, said feeding means including a pawl having two teeth spaced for simultaneous engagement with the connector member on the anvil and one of the adjacent connector members in said series when the pawl is at the beginning of its stroke, and means connecting said plunger and pawl for reciprocation in timed relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,631,213 Martines Mar. 10, 1953 2,681,447: Davis June 22, 1954 2,727,236 Klumpp Dec. 20, 1955 2,765,468 Cootes Oct. 9, 1956 

